It was created by screenwriter / author Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book Spencer's Mountain and the 1963 film of the same name.

The Waltons aired almost a decade later from 1972-81, however relocated from the Spencers family 1963 film portrayal of the geographic site in the Grand Teton Mountains of Wyoming and late 1950s era to creator Hamner's real-life memories and home turf of western Virginia (born and raised near Schuyler, Nelson County) and appropriate time period of the Depression era '30s and wartime '40s of fictional village of Walton's Mountain, Jefferson County, near the town of Rockfish in Virginia.

The time period is from 1933-1946, during the Great Depression and World War II, during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (who are occasionally mentioned and especially FDR, whose picture hangs in the Walton homestead and neighboring Ike Godsey's General Mercantile store).

The deepest Depression year of 1933 is suggested by a mentioned reference to the opening of the Century of Progress exposition (World's Fair) held in Chicago, a brief shot of an antique automobile registration license plate, and it is divulged in episode 5 that the date is in the spring of 1933.

A continuity error exists in the final reunion movie about how many years John and wife / mother Olivia are said to be married, counting back to the first episode.

However, in the first episode of the series aired in September 1972, it is supposedly set in 1933 ("The Foundling"), John Boy is 17 years old and he already has six brothers and sisters.

Each episode is narrated at the opening and closing by a middle-aged John Jr. (voiced by author Earl Hamner on whom John-Boy is based).

John Sr., who quit his city job after the traumatic events in the pilot episode, manages to eke out a living for his family by operating a lumber mill with the help of his sons as they grow older.

In the simpler days of their country youth, all of the children are rambunctious and curious, but as times grow tough, the children slowly depart from the innocent, carefree days of walking everywhere barefoot while clad in overalls and hand-sewn pinafores, and into the harsh, demanding world of accountability and responsibility.

The small community named after their property is also home to folk of various income levels, ranging from the well-to-do Baldwin sisters, two spinsters who distill moonshine that they call "Papa's recipe;" Ike Godsey, postmaster and owner of the general store with his somewhat snobbish wife Corabeth (a Walton cousin; she calls her husband "Mr. Godsey"); an African-American couple, Verdie and Harley Foster; Maude Gormley, a presumptuous artist who paints on wood; Flossie Brimmer, a friendly though somewhat gossipy widow who runs a nearby boarding house; and Yancy Tucker, a good-hearted handyman with big plans but little motivation.

Jefferson County sheriff Ep Bridges, who fought alongside John in World War I and was awarded the Medal of Honor, keeps law and order in Walton's Mountain.

In the signature scene that closes almost every episode, the family house is enveloped in darkness, save for 1, 2 or 3 lights in the upstairs bedroom windows.

During the series' last few years, Mary Ellen and Ben start their own families; Erin, Jason and John-Boy are married in later television movie sequels.

Mary Ellen's physician husband, Curtis "Curt" Willard, is sent to Pearl Harbor and is reported to have perished in the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

Years later, Mary Ellen hears of sightings of her "late" husband, investigates and finds him alive (played by another actor), but brooding over his war wounds and living under an assumed name.

Consistent with the effects of Ellen Corby's actual stroke, Grandma rarely speaks during the remainder of the series, usually limited to uttering brief one-or two-word lines such as "No!"

Earl Hamner's rural childhood growing up in the unincorporated community of Schuyler, Virginia, provided the basis for the setting and many of the storylines of The Waltons.

His family and the community provided many life experiences which aided in the characters, values, area, and human-interest stories of his books, movies, and television series.

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971) was not made as a pilot for a series, but it was so popular that it led to CBS initially commissioning one season of episodes based on the same characters, and the result was The Waltons.

[10] The town of Walton's Mountain was built in the rear area of the main lot at Warner Bros. Studios, bordering the Los Angeles River, but the mountain itself was part of the Hollywood Hills range opposite Warner studios in Burbank, California, the reverse side of which, and slightly to the east, is Mount Lee and the Hollywood Sign.

For the first few seasons, the show would oftentimes shoot exterior scenes in Frazier Park, 70 miles (110 km) to the north of Los Angeles.

The network gave The Waltons an undesirable timeslot – Thursdays at 8 p.m – opposite 2 popular programs: The Flip Wilson Show on NBC and The Mod Squad on ABC.

[12] Ralph Waite was reluctant to audition for the part of John Walton because he didn't want to be tied to a long-running TV series, but his agent persuaded him by saying, "It will never sell.

"[26] In response, The Simpsons made a short animated segment for a repeat showing of the episode "Stark Raving Dad", in which the family watches the speech, and Bart remarks, "Hey, we're just like the Waltons.

Also set in 1933, this film features the Walton family (portrayed by new actors) minus Ben, waiting for John to get home by bus.

She regularly takes the opportunity to answer viewer questions, with more than 100 "Ask Judy" episodes, and she has also hosted several former cast members as well as one of the show's directors, Ralph Senensky.